Home Office

Asylum: Children

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government, of the unaccompanied children seeking asylum whowere housed in hotels and went missingbut were subsequently found,how manywere reported to, or were found to, have been involved in (1) organised crime, and (2) county lines drug activity, during the period they were missing.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office takes the wellbeing, welfare and security of children and minors in our care extremely seriously. Robust safeguarding procedures are in place to ensure all children and minors are safe and supported as we seek urgent placements with local authorities. This information is not held centrally but is held by the encountering police forces. When a young person who has previously gone missing from a hotel housing unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) is encountered or located we engage with statutory partners, including the police who will identify whether there are any concerns regarding possible trafficking; exploitation or other potential criminal activities that may require investigation.

Asylum: Housing

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local councils regarding their plans to house refugees and asylum seekers at former military bases announced on 29 March

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government how the quality of accommodation for housing refugees and asylum seekers will be monitored, following the announcement on 29 March of plans to use former military bases to house refugees and asylum seekers.

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to support vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers, including those who are children and those with mental health needs, following the announcement on 29 March of plans to use former military bases to house refugees and asylum seekers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The Home Office are engaged with a number of Local Authorities and key stakeholders on sourcing appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers including those announced on 29th March 2023. We are committed to engaging with local authorities and local partners to support successful delivery.For any large sites the Home Office are exploring use, Multi-Agency Forums are being held with the Local Authority and other key stakeholders before implementation. Any concerns relating to the Local Authority’s ability to meet statutory requirements can be raised and discussed in that forum. We are committed to continuous engagement with local authorities and local partners to understand and mitigate identified risks, including impact on local services.

Slavery

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average waiting period for an individual entering the National Referral Mechanism awaiting a reasonable grounds decision (1) before, and (2) after, the introduction of the updated guidance that came into effect this year.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Reasonable Grounds decisions will be made as soon as possible following referral. Statistics on the timescales of Reasonable Grounds decisions for victims of modern slavery are not currently published.

Crime: Rural Areas

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of installing tracking devices on farm machinery to reduce rural crime.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is committed to driving down rural crime. Whether someone lives in the countryside or a town or city they should get the same high-quality service from the police if they fall victim to a crime. To help prevent the theft of agricultural machinery the Government is supporting the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill which will require immobilisers and forensic marking to be fitted as standard to all new All-Terrain Vehicles and quad bikes. These measures are designed to prevent theft of agricultural equipment subject to the legislation. The Bill does not include a requirement for tracking devices to be installed, as these assist with recovering vehicles rather than preventing theft. The Bill also provides a power for the Secretary of State to extend the legislation to other equipment designed or adapted primarily for use in agricultural or commercial settings. We are intending to consult on extending the legislation to other agricultural machinery and handheld power tools.The Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons and was introduced in the House of Lords on 6 March

HM Passport Office: Labour Turnover

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the attrition rate for caseworkers at the Passport Office in 2022.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The attrition rate for case-working staff only is not held in a reportable format.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Freeports: Northern Ireland

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Windsor Framework will allow the establishment of freeports in Northern Ireland.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are committed to extending the benefits of our Freeports programme across the UK and to working with stakeholders from sectors and places across Northern Ireland on how best to do so. Of course we need to see a restored Northern Ireland Executive before those discussions can be progressed further, similar to our engagements with Scottish and Welsh governments on proposals there.

Artificial Intelligence

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government, further tothe letter published by the Future of Life Institute Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter, published on 29 March, what plans they have to work with partners at the United Nations Security Council to pause the development of advanced AI for six months.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems become more powerful, and are put to different use, they will create new challenges and risks. The UK Government recognises it will need to act and adapt the way we regulate technologies like AI that are playing an increasingly vital role in our economy and society. Whilst it is important to note that the letter is not expressly targeted towards the UK or any other government, the UK Government agrees - and makes it clear in the AI Regulation White Paper - that a collaborative approach, including with our international partners, is fundamental to addressing AI risk and supporting responsible AI development and use.

Azerbaijan: Sanctions

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reported violations of human rights in Azerbaijan recorded by Amnesty International and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), what plans they have, if any, to introduce more comprehensive sanctions on Azerbaijan than the 1992 OSCE arms embargo, refined in 2014.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government will not speculate on future sanctions designations. During his recent visit to Baku on 22 February the Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, raised concerns over human rights in Azerbaijan with Foreign Minister Bayramov. This followed previous engagements by the UK's Ambassador to Baku and diplomats in London. The UK Government will continue to raise allegations of human rights violations directly with the Government of Azerbaijan.

Nagorno Karabakh: Peacekeeping Operations

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to work with international partners to arrange the deployment of UN Peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: If an independent mission was requested by the parties to the conflict and welcomed by them, and would contribute to a peaceful solution and resolution of all outstanding matters between them, then the UK would, in principle, support it.

Armenia: Prisoners of War

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they plan to make, if any, to the government of Azerbaijan for the immediate release of all Armenian Prisoners of War.

Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to request that the UN send a fact-finding mission (1) to determine, and (2) to report on, the detention conditions of Armenian Prisoners of War in Azerbaijan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government welcomed the most recent return of prisoners of war in November 2022 and return of remains of the deceased in December 2022. The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, continues to urge both parties to settle all outstanding matters related to the conflict, noting that diplomacy remains the only way to secure stability and peace in the region. He did so most recently during his visit to Baku on 22 February and during a call on 18 January to Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan. The UK Government continues to urge both parties to use existing channels, including talks facilitated by the EU and US, to settle all outstanding matters including the returns of prisoners of war and remains of the deceased and as such has no plans to request a United Nations fact-finding mission at this time.

Ministry of Defence

AUKUS: Nuclear Reactors

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government where the nuclear reactors for the SSN–AUKUS submarines will be built.

Baroness Goldie: As the Minister for Defence Procurement (Alex Chalk) highlighted in his Oral Statement to the Commons on 14 March, all nuclear reactors for the SSN-AUKUS Class submarines will be built by Rolls Royce in Derby.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Higher Education: Research

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any UK academic institutions have been notified that they will lose access to research databases provided by the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platform; and what assessment they have made of extent to which academic institutions in China currently have access to academic research databases funded by UK research councils

Viscount Camrose: The Department does not collect data on institutional subscriptions to the China National Knowledge Infrastructure platform. The UK is a global leader in open research. UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) support the principle that research data and publications are as open as possible and as secure as necessary. Responsible and trusted research requires a balance of considerations which are expressed in the UK Research and Innovation Trusted Research and Innovation Principles, published in 2021. Science outcomes published in Research Councils' open research databases are available to all subscribers.

Cabinet Office

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they expect the Coronation Oath to be sworn by His Majesty King Charles III to differ from that sworn by Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; if so, (1) in what ways, and (2) whether an amendment to the Coronation Oath Act 1688 will be required; and whether they will publish the wording of the Oath to be sworn by King Charles.

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Coronation Oath to be sworn by His Majesty King Charles III will require him to promise and swear to govern according to statute and custom.

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Coronation Oath to be sworn by His Majesty King Charles III will require him to use his power to cause law and justice in mercy to be executed in all his judgments.

Lord James of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Coronation Oath to be sworn by His Majesty King Charles III will require him to maintain the laws of God, the true profession of the Gospel, and the Protestant reformed religion established by law, and to preserve the rights and privileges of the Church and clergy.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Coronation Oath Act 1688 requires that the Sovereign take the oath at his or her Coronation, and the text of the oath is set out in the Act. The precise form of words has been varied over successive coronations to reflect changes to the constitutional position. Except for one instance, the changes to the oath have been made without primary legislation - see the statement  [1] of Sir Winston Churchill to the House of Commons in February 1953 (HC Deb 25 February 1953 vol 511 cc2091-3). The text of the Oath will be published in due course and Parliament will be updated on any changes to the wording. [1] CORONATION OATH CHANGES HC Deb 25 February 1953 vol 511 cc2091-32091§The Prime MinisterI should now like to make my statement in reply to Question No. 45.The terms of the Coronation Oath were first prescribed by the Act 1 William and Mary, chapter 6. Since then its terms have been changed at least five times. On one occasion only has the change had legislative sanction, namely the change which was introduced as a result of the Act of Union with Scotland. The Treaty of Union had provided that in Scotland the religion professed by the people of Scotland should be preserved to them and confirmed by every King on his accession, and it was thought proper that similar provision should be made for the protection of the English Church in England. The Coronation Oath was altered and enlarged accordingly.For the many subsequent changes, large or small, which have been made in the terms of the Oath there was no legislative sanction. They were made at various times, and, in particular, after the Act of Union with Ireland, after the Disestablishment of the Irish Church, and also after the passing of the Statute of Westminster. On the last occasion the question whether the changes that were necessary to meet the new constitutional position could be made without an Act of Parliament was carefully considered. and the Lord Chancellor and the Law Officers of the day advised that they could.I am advised by my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor that this opinion was clearly correct, and that the changes now proposed, which are, perhaps, less substantial than those made in 1937, but are required to meet the new constitutional position created by the Indian Independence Act, 1947, and other statutes, can also be made without legislative sanction.Her Majesty's Government propose to follow this long line of precedents. To accept the view that changes in the terms of the Oath which are necessary to reconcile it with a changed constitutional 2092position cannot be made except with the authority of an Act of Parliament would be to cast doubt upon the validity of the Oath administered to every Sovereign of this country since George I.If, as I am advised, the Coronation Oath can be lawfully administered in the terms now proposed, no useful purpose would be served by legislation. It must be remembered that at Westminster the Queen will be crowned Queen not only of the United Kingdom, but also of other self-governing countries of the Commonwealth. The form of Oath now proposed has been put to each of these countries and none has raised any objection, or has suggested that it is necessary to pass legislation in its own Parliament or in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Indeed, it would not be possible in the time now remaining before the Coronation to arrange for legislation to be passed by the Commonwealth countries concerned.§Mr. AttleeMay I say, having had some experience of these difficulties, that I think it is extremely satisfactory that agreement has been obtained throughout the Commonwealth on this Oath, and that we should be well advised to allow this to proceed without legislation?§Mr. E. FletcherMay 1, with respect. put this to the Prime Minister? While no one would wish to throw doubt on the validity of the Coronation Oaths in the past, in view of the fact that the Coronation Oath is a Parliamentary creation, and is intended as a limitation on the Prerogative, is it not desirable, though it may be inconvenient, that any changes that are proposed this year should have legislative sanction, for which, I am sure, there would be no difficulty in making the appropriate arrangements on a non-controversial basis? It is a matter which affects the rights of Parliament, and not merely the rights of the Executive.§The Prime MinisterI think those important and weighty points have been covered by the answer which I have given to the House.§Mr. HealyCould the right hon. Gentleman tell us whether he has considered the speech of an important member of the Irish Government in regard to this matter?2093§The Prime Ministeris the hon. Gentleman speaking for the Irish Government of Northern Ireland or for the Eire Government, I believe it is—the Government of the Republic?§Mr. HealyThe official name is the Government of Ireland, not the Government of Northern Ireland, which is a very small part of Ireland.§Mr. Emrys HughesIs the Prime Minister aware that there is a strong feeling in Scotland about the Oath being taken to a Queen Elizabeth II on the ground of historical inaccuracy? In view of his great claim to historical accuracy himself, will he not do something' to meet this very strong resentment in Scotland?§The Prime MinisterI shall be very glad to hear from the hon. Member if he will put his question in the pillar box.

Government Departments: Procurement

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government how many suppliers to government departments have been excluded from subsequent procurement processes on the grounds of either fraud or corruption.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process.In all cases, individual departments and other public sector bodies are responsible for their own decisions on these matters, and will hold their own records. This information is not held centrally.

Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 29 March (HL6769), how many electric vehicle charging points have been installed on public roads or footpaths, including on lamp-posts, in England in each year since 2010.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The information requested is not held by the Department for Transport.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Fuel Oil: Rural Areas

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to help people with oil-based heating systems, who primarily live in rural areas without main gas supplies, with the cost of energy.

Lord Callanan: The Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) scheme provides a £200 grant payment to UK households that use alternative fuels for heating instead of mains gas. Most households received the payment automatically through their electricity supplier, who were obliged to pay customers during February. Traditional prepayment customers may receive a voucher which they can redeem within 3 months. For the small proportion of households who could not be paid automatically, the online portal to apply for the support is open on gov.uk now. A small proportion of households will need to apply for the AFP, for example because they do not have a relationship with an electricity supplier. Applications for this Alternative Fund opened on 6 March through a GOV.UK portal which includes an overview of eligibility and what steps households need to take to apply for support.

Sizewell C Power Station: China General Nuclear Power Corporation

Lord Haworth: To ask His Majesty's Government why they paidChinese state-owned power group CGN over £100mn to withdraw from its proposed 20 per cent share of the Sizewell C nuclear power station project.

Lord Callanan: Following constructive commercial negotiations, CGN decided to exit the project as part of the Government investment in Sizewell C. The agreement to secure their exit covered value of their shareholding, their contribution to the project’s development and a commercial return reflecting their work to date. The details of this arrangement are commercially confidential.

Carbon emissions

Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theNet zero policy tracker: March 2023 update by Green Alliance, published on 17 March; and in particular, what assessment they have made of the finding that only 28 per cent of emissions reductions needed to reach net zero by 2050 are covered by confirmed policies.

Lord Callanan: The Net Zero Growth Plan sets out the package that will meet carbon budgets. The Government has met every Carbon Budget to date and through the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan has set out quantified proposals and policies to exceed Carbon Budgets 4 and 5 and 97% of Carbon Budget 6.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Disability

Baroness Adams of Craigielea: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of disabled people affected by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Warm Home Discount Scheme between 2022—23.

Lord Callanan: As a result of expanding and reforming the scheme in England and Wales, the Government estimated in the final impact assessment that 160,000 more households, where a person has a disability or long-term illness, will receive a rebate. These changes do not apply in Scotland, where customers apply for a Broader Group rebate through their energy suppliers, who can set their own eligibility criteria.

Treasury

Debts: Advisory Services

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plansthey have to promote debt (1) advice, and (2) management, services across public services.

Baroness Penn: The Government recognises the vital role that debt advice and management services play in helping people in financial difficulty and vulnerable circumstances. The Government Debt Management Function (GDMF) works closely with the debt advice sector through the Fairness Group to improve the way vulnerable debtors are identified and supported. This includes through improved signposting / referrals to the advice sector. The GDMF has published the Debt Functional Standard, Vulnerability Toolkit and Economic Abuse Toolkit. These set expectations for government organisations to, where appropriate, signpost to external support services and debt advice. To help people access debt advice, the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) launched MoneyHelper in 2021, a consumer-facing service which provides free online guidance for people dealing with money worries and debt and connects people to free advice through its debt advice locator tool. This year, MoneyHelper undertook a cost-of-living promotional campaign to increase awareness of its content for those struggling with rising cost of living pressures, including tools to support people with prioritising bills, talking to creditors and budget planning. As of the end of March, the campaign had generated around 85,000 additional online sessions. MaPS also promotes the Money Adviser Network (MAN), a free partnership opportunity for organisations having conversations with people in financial difficulty. The MAN seeks to simplify how people access regulated debt advice, providing a single point of entry to a panel of free, high quality debt advice agencies. It now comprises more than 500 referral partners including DWP’s Debt Management and Universal Credit Service Centre, HMRC, Crown Commercial Services and the Child Maintenance Service. MaPS also engages with the GDMF’s Fairness Group, supporting improvements to the government’s debt management practices including promoting the use of the Standard Financial Statement (SFS).

Department of Health and Social Care

Integrated Care Systems: Finance

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government which Integrated Care Systems are forecast to be in debt at the end of the 2022–23 financial year.

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government which Integrated Care Systems have submitted draft operating plans forecasting that they will have no deficit at the end of the 2023–24 financial year.

Lord Markham: The 2022/23 year-end debt position of each individual organisation in the National Health Service will be confirmed in their individual balance sheets included in their accounts due to be published later this year. The Department does not hold in-year reporting data on debt.The 2023/24 forecast surplus/deficit position against budget for individual integrated care systems (ICSs) will be agreed as part of the operational planning process between NHS England and ICSs which is currently ongoing. Draft plans are being resubmitted to NHS England and will be shared with the Department when they are finalised. We therefore do not currently have the information to show whether any ICS is planning to end 2023/24 with a deficit against their agreed budget.